New Exele PI-DAS RECLAIM System for LA Refinery

March 2016

We have recently installed a new PI-DAS RECLAIM environmental monitoring and reporting system in the Los Angeles area.  This new installation is at one of the largest refineries in California with over 50 reportable sources.  The existing system was approaching end of life and needed to be replaced.  Exele was selected from among several vendors to provide a replacement RECLAIM monitoring and reporting system.

RECLAIM

The location of this refinery puts it under the jurisdiction of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).  Emitters in this district participate in the Regional Clean Air Incentives Market (RECLAIM).

Compliance with RECLAIM rules shares many aspects with other regional and federal emissions regulations such as EPA Part 60, EPA Part 75, and Title V type regulations.  Aspects of these rules include CEMS value averaging and rollup, fuel flow rate corrections, stack flow calculations, and mass emission rate and total calculations.  Data for periods that do not pass validation criteria must be substituted using missing data procedures.  Mass emissions are reported to the SCAQMD on a daily basis and aggregate values are calculated and reported monthly and quarterly.

PI-DAS Environmental reporting for RECLAIM

Exele’s PI-DAS system for RECLAIM is based on our industry tested environmental calculation engine that automatically runs daily to generate reportable results.  In addition to the calculation engine we deployed other Exele products (TopView, EDICT, and Manual Input) to augment and support the PI-DAS RECLAIM environmental system.

TopView is used for alarming and notification.  Color coded alarm messages are displayed in order of importance with audible notification of new alarm events.  We utilized the TopView Remote Viewer client application to allow various groups to view values and alarms from their own computers.  Alarm acknowledgement is restricted to individuals responsible for specific alarms using Windows Integrated Security.

Our real time calculation package, EDICT, runs calculations to provide up to the minute emission estimates before a reporting day is completed.

Manual Input is used to present a customized interface for entering calculation parameters.  Making changes to these input parameters also use Windows Security and keeps an audit log so changes can be tracked.

PI-DAS and OSIsoft PI

PI-DAS is based on OSIsoft PI which allows an existing PI infrastructure to be leveraged so deployment of our products requires minimal need for time and resources from the customer.  If an existing PI system is not available we can install an environmental PI system.  The PI platform maintains a high level of data security which is very important in a regulated industry.  Use of PI enables various personnel to have access to environmental compliance data to review.